When Jesus cries out from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (verse 34), His words weren’t so much a request to the Father; as they were a revelation of the Father! — a prayer that God would be seen for who He is and what He’s like: “slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). Those words, spoken to Moses, aren’t what God became after Jesus died on the cross; they’re what God has always been and always will be! When Jesus says, “Father, forgive them,” he’s saying: May the reality of what you’re like — that’s known in heaven — be a reality that’s known on earth!